Join us on March 14th in London to show your solidarity and support for a peaceful, democratic Syria: a Syria without Assad and a Syria without ISIS.

It is more important than ever to show your support. More than half of Syria’s people have been displaced. Millions have fled the country. Over 200,000 people have been killed. Over 250,000 are still in regime prisons.

Syrians have been tortured, shot, bombed, starved, and gassed. Lend your voice to demand action. We cannot let the world turn its back on Syria.

We aim to provide political and material solidarity for the people of Syria. We want to work with all existing campaigns and progressive organisations to help in the struggle for a democratic and free Syria.

SYRIAN REFUGEES WELCOME HERE

There are over 4 million Syrian refugees, 94% of them in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. The UK government has accepted only 90 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees for resettlement, while at the same time they have pulled out of EU rescue efforts in the Mediterranean.

We call on the UK government to:

Expand the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme

Contribute to expanding Operation Triton for Mediterranean rescue

Work with the EU to allow safe routes for Syrians entering Europe

A NO-FLY ZONE FOR SYRIA

We call on UN Security Council permanent members UK, France, and USA, to:

Thursday, 19 February 2015

Syria Solidarity UK is supporting a campaign initiated by Citizens UK to persuade councils to pledge support for the resettlement of more Syrian refugees. A meeting will be held at 5pm on Saturday at SOAS London to give a briefing on the campaign, and explain how Syrians and UK citizens can get involved in lobbying their local councils.

Saturday 21 February at 5pm.
Room G3, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London.

We are writing in support of an initiative on Syrian refugees begun by Citizens UK.

Councils across the UK are being asked to pledge just 50 places each for the resettlement of Syrian refugees, with the goal of gaining pledges from at least 50 councils. This would amount to pledges to relocate 2,500 vulnerable Syrian refugees across the UK.

These pledges will be presented to central government to persuade them to increase the number of vulnerable Syrian refugees allowed to resettle in the UK.

We call on [• • • • • Council/Local Authority] to play its part by pledging to resettle 50 Syrian refugees.

With the number of registered Syrian refugees now over 3.7 million, mostly in neighbouring countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, UNHCR has called on governments around the world to provide resettlement for 130,000 of the most vulnerable by the end of 2016. These most vulnerable refugees considered in need of resettlement are survivors of torture, people with acute medical needs, or women alone or otherwise vulnerable.

The UK has so far resettled 90 through its Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

As European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (formerly European Refugee Fund) support would be available for housing, health, and education, we see no reason why the Council should not join those pledging places. The current refugee crisis is the worst since the Second World War, so the need is very great; this is a small and simple step to help move policy forward and enable the UK to play its part.

We would like to meet with you as soon as possible in March to discuss this further.